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Panel endorses apartment towers in Armadale

Cameron Houston

A digital imagining of the apartments on Orrong Road and Osment Street in Armadale.

PLANS for several large apartment towers in Armadale have been endorsed by an independent government panel despite fierce opposition from Stonnington Council and more than 600 complaints from residents.

The planning panel refused a council request to impose an eight-storey height limit on the 2.5-hectare site at 590 Orrong Road, where Sydney developer Lend Lease has proposed 466 apartments, including four 12-storey towers. The panel also rejected a submission for more public open spaces, but did recommend changes to setbacks that would help integrate the development with surrounding houses.

Stonnington Council will consider the decision at a meeting on Monday night, but is expected to proceed with a Supreme Court challenge in April.

Stonnington mayor Matthew Koce said he was disappointed the planning panel had not approved mandatory height limits for the site, adjacent to Toorak railway station.

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Cr Koce also criticised the failure to require more open space.

''Stonnington already has the second-lowest amount of open space in metropolitan Melbourne, and faces mounting pressure on infrastructure and services,'' he said.

He denied Armadale residents were opposed to any development in the exclusive suburb.

''I don't think the community has a problem with apartments, but they do have an issue with the scale and location of this development. There is a lot of angst and I think it's reasonable that residents have a say in what happens in their neighbourhoods.''

Cr Koce would not say if council intended to support the revised scheme, with a decision expected by February 20.

In July last year, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal approved the contentious project, which will also include a licensed cafe, maternal health centre, a large central green and a pool for residents.

After the council received about 640 complaints from angry residents, VCAT decided ''the number of objections to the proposed development was an irrelevant consideration''.

While Planning Minister Matthew Guy has refused to intervene in the dispute, he said Victoria's appeals tribunal should consider the concerns of local communities in planning matters.

Lend Lease could not be reached for comment on Saturday but has previously refused to discuss the matter while it is the subject of a court challenge.